Here is the budding consciousness of a young girl in a small Newfoundland fishing community during the final years of its prosperous isolation. As a treasured only child, she weaves diverting observations with delicate introspection to create an intriguing view of her society and herself. Wonderingly, she gradually becomes aware of the local economy and culture: the hustle and muscle of an unusually rich fishery, her matrix of relatives and religion, the annual rituals and daily rounds, the home remedies and hopeful charms. Accidents and illness make her mindful of a wider world. Education requires travel. And the gravel road snaking steadily over rocky hills will fade her birthplace into a feeding of memories. This fate she shares with many millions who have sustained similar changes.